10 Companies Dialing Back LGBTQ ‘Pride’ Messaging

Companies have been dialing back their LGBTQ+ Pride messaging since President Donald Trump took office last year, and analysts say that contributes to a less divisive marketplace.

“This is both a market correction and a cultural correction,” Allen Mendenhall, a senior adviser for The Heritage Foundation’s Free Enterprise Initiative, told the Daily Signal. “After years of performative corporate activism, companies are rediscovering that their customers—particularly families—do not want firms serving as vehicles for ideological agendas.”

“Businesses are increasingly rejecting pressure from activist investors and corporate bureaucracies in favor of listening to consumers and respecting longstanding moral and religious convictions,” he added. “Top-down cultural engineering is losing its grip.”

Many companies have adopted Pride messaging as a result of the environmental, social, and governance investing movement. Investors used ESG standards to direct their dollars, and they often relied on the Human Rights Campaign‘s Corporate Equality Index, which rates companies based on their pro-LGBTQ+ policies and statements, to determine where money went.

Yet Trump issued executive orders combating so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion, noting that discrimination in favor of racial minorities and those who identify as LGBTQ+ still violates federal civil rights laws. This has inspired many companies to opt out of HRC’s index, though some had already begun to do so in 2024.

The Human Rights Campaign recently surveyed consumers who identify as LGBTQ+, finding that these consumers identified five companies perceived as pulling back their commitment to the LGBTQ+ community: Target, Walmart, Amazon, Chick-fil-A, and Home Depot.

The Daily Signal reached out to each of the companies below for comment, but only Amazon and Puma responded.

1. Amazon

Amazon launched a “Pride Out Loud” campaign in 2021, and LGBTQ+ consumers named it as one of the more pro-LGBTQ+ brands between 2017 and 2022, according to the HRC survey.

The online retailer made news for withdrawing its sponsorship of Pride Amsterdam last year, however.

The company declined to comment on how many Pride events it has ceased sponsoring and stated that it supports employee-led groups that seek to sponsor such events.

“We’re committed to building a workforce that helps us build the best range of products and services for the most globally diverse customers in the world,” an Amazon spokesperson told the Daily Signal. “We support our employees with opportunities that allow them to grow, thrive, and connect internally and in their communities.”

2. Facebook/Meta

In 2018, Facebook launched a “Happy Pride” page for creators and introduced LGBTQ+ themes for Facebook Messenger in 2021. The company dropped those themes last year, while embracing policy changes that allowed more criticism of transgender ideology on Facebook. The company also appeared to release fewer posts celebrating Pride.

3. Home Depot

Home Depot has reportedly dialed back its Pride messaging, removing a DEI section from its website and withdrawing its sponsorship for Toronto Pride.

4. McDonald’s

In 2022, McDonald’s released a statement celebrating Pride, offering “gender reassignment support,” announcing a “House of Pride” parade, and hosting a float in Chicago’s parade. McDonald’s exited the HRC index last year, however, and seems not to be pushing Pride messaging. 

5. Nike

Nike launched a “Be True” product line focused on Pride messaging, but appears to have dialed it back in 2024, and while the company still sells “Be True” products, observers noted that it did not launch a new 2026 product line.

6. PepsiCo

In 2022, PepsiCo ran a Pride Month marketing campaign and donated $100,000 to “LGBT+ safe spaces hit hard by COVID-19.” This year, PepsiCo scaled back sponsorship of NYC Pride.

7. Puma

While the athletic wear company Puma launched a Pride collection last year, it does not appear to have done so this year.

“PUMA continues to view diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as an integral part of its company culture,” Anne Putz, senior director of corporate communications, told the Daily Signal. She noted the company’s support for the LGBTQ+ event Christopher Street Day in Nuremberg, Germany, near the company’s headquarters.

“At the same time, PUMA is currently undergoing a transformation, during which we are further sharpening our product portfolio,” Putz added. “This strategic focus does not change the importance we attach to DEI, which remains firmly embedded in our culture.”

8. Target

Target appears to have faced backlash for its loud LGBTQ+ marketing back in 2023, and it removed itself from the HRC Corporate Equality Index last year.

9. Walmart

Walmart has reportedly dialed back its Pride messaging and opted out of the HRC index.

10. YouTube

Last year, YouTube Creator and Artist Stories published a celebration of Pride, but it appears not to have done so this year.

A Warning

“On one hand, many major companies have scaled back overt ideological messaging and refocused on core business priorities that serve their customers and shareholders,” Doug Napier, executive chairman and CEO of 1792 Exchange, told the Daily Signal. “However, others that publicly pledged to exit the activism business continue to support divisive causes, revealing a gap between rhetoric and genuine commitment.”

“Corporate leaders must implement structural changes that prioritize integrity and core business functions over radical social causes,” he added.